HEARTBREAKING: Lionel Messi’s father Jorge dies at 68 after long illness – the quiet pillar behind the greatest player of all time
The man who guided a shy boy from the streets of Rosario to football immortality has left us.
Jorge Horacio Messi, father, agent, confidant and lifelong protector of Lionel Messi, passed away on Friday night at the age of 68 in a medical centre in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. He had been battling a long illness. The family confirmed the news to Reuters. Newell’s Old Boys, the club that first nurtured the young Lionel and which Jorge supported with fierce loyalty, issued a moving public tribute.
The football world is in mourning. Fans across Argentina and far beyond are sharing memories of the unassuming steel-factory supervisor who became one of the most influential figures in the modern game – not by seeking the spotlight, but by standing steadfastly behind his son.
Lionel Messi, currently with Inter Miami, had spent precious time with his father after Argentina’s run at the 2026 World Cup before returning to club duty. He came off the bench against Columbus Crew only a week before the devastating news broke. The superstar has yet to issue a public statement, and the family has requested privacy as they grieve.
[Image: A young Lionel Messi with his father Jorge during their early years in Rosario]
Jorge Messi was born on 1 January 1958 in Rosario. He grew up in a working-class family of Italian and Spanish descent, worked as a section head at the Acindar steel plant in Villa Constitución, and married Celia Cuccittini after completing his military service. Together they raised four children: Rodrigo, Matías, Lionel and María Sol. Football was always part of the household. Jorge himself had played as a midfielder in the Newell’s system as a young man, though he never turned professional. He coached his youngest son at the local Grandoli club from the age of four and later watched him tear through the ranks at Newell’s Old Boys’ youth setup, the famous “Machine of ’87.”
When Lionel was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency around the age of 10 or 11, the family’s world was turned upside down. The monthly treatment was expensive. Local clubs could not or would not fully cover the costs. Jorge refused to let his son’s dream die. He arranged a trial with Barcelona in 2000. The Catalan club agreed to fund the treatment. Jorge travelled with the 13-year-old Lionel to Spain while the rest of the family remained in Argentina for a time. The father and son shared a modest apartment, enduring homesickness, language barriers and the loneliness of a foreign land.
Lionel later recalled those early days with raw honesty: the two of them sometimes crying alone in the apartment, pretending to each other that everything was fine. At one point Jorge asked his son if he wanted to stay or go home. Lionel chose to stay. Jorge stayed with him.
That decision changed football history.
[Image: Jorge Messi and Lionel together in Barcelona during the early years at La Masia]
As Lionel’s talent exploded, Jorge gradually took full control of his son’s professional affairs. He became his agent and business manager – a role he held for more than two decades. He negotiated with Barcelona presidents, guided the difficult exit from the club he had joined as a boy, helped arrange the move to Paris Saint-Germain, and later the high-profile switch to Inter Miami. He protected Lionel’s image and commercial interests with the same quiet determination he had once shown on the factory floor. Forbes still listed him as the player’s agent into 2026.
Lionel has spoken repeatedly of how much he needed his father’s approval. “I always needed my dad’s approval, ever since I was little,” he said. “I would finish a match and ask him how he thought I had played.” Jorge was the stern critic who pushed him to improve, while Celia was the unconditional supporter who always told him he had been the best. The two parents formed the perfect balance. Lionel has said he tries to copy their approach in raising his own children with Antonela Roccuzzo.
The bond was tested again during the 2026 World Cup. Jorge’s health had already been fragile. Reports of a medical episode earlier in the year and subsequent treatment circulated quietly. After Lionel scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, he broke down in tears. He later explained the emotion had nothing to do with football. “It has been a difficult, complicated few days,” he said. A false on-air report by an Argentine television presenter claiming Jorge had died caused temporary chaos and forced a public clarification from the family. They confirmed he was under medical supervision and progressing favourably within his condition, while appealing for responsibility, prudence and humanity.
Jorge spent the final months moving between a medical centre in Rosario and the family home, surrounded by Celia and his other children. Lionel made sure to be with him after the World Cup before resuming his club commitments. The end came quietly on the night of 7 August 2026, local time.
[Image: Lionel Messi celebrating with emotion during the 2026 World Cup, a moment later linked to his father’s health struggles]
Newell’s Old Boys led the tributes. “The Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys bids farewell with deep sorrow and grief to Jorge Messi, who passed away at the age of 68 in the city of Rosario,” the club posted. “A recognised Leproso supporter, businessman and father of the Argentina national team captain, Lionel Andrés Messi. Jorge was the support and the person who, with vision, rigour and affection, underpinned the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini. His constant companionship and leadership behind the scenes were fundamental in supporting every step Lionel took, from his beginnings at Malvinas to the ultimate glory of world football… Thank you for teaching him to love these colours.” The club’s directors, members, players and entire “Leprosa” family offered their embrace to Celia, Lionel, Rodrigo, Matías, María Sol and all their loved ones.
Other institutions followed. The Argentine Professional Football League expressed love and solidarity. The family’s own Bar Vip in Rosario closed for the day in mourning, posting a simple “Giant hug, boss.” UNICEF, with which Jorge had collaborated, also paid respects.
Jorge Messi never sought the limelight. He preferred the background, the private conversations after matches, the careful management of a career that would produce eight Ballon d’Ors, a World Cup, multiple Champions League titles and a place among the immortals. He was the first to recognise the special talent in his son, the one who made the hard choices when the family had little money, the one who stayed when homesickness threatened to end the European adventure before it properly began, and the one who later shielded Lionel from the worst excesses of fame and negotiation.
Lionel once said simply: “I am the way I am because of what I learned from my old man.” That quiet education in hard work, family loyalty, resilience and measured ambition helped shape a player who remained remarkably grounded despite unprecedented success.
The void left behind is immense. For Celia, the partner of nearly five decades. For Rodrigo, Matías and María Sol. For the grandchildren who knew “abuelo” Jorge. And above all for Lionel, who has always spoken of his father as both the toughest critic and the steadiest presence in his life.
Football has lost more than a father and an agent. It has lost one of the unseen architects of a career that redefined the sport. Jorge Messi never scored the goals or lifted the trophies, but without him the story of Lionel Messi – the boy from Rosario who conquered the world – would have been very different.
As the Messi family gathers in private to mourn, the wider football family offers its deepest condolences. Rest in peace, Jorge. You taught your son to love the game, to love his colours, and to keep going when the path was hardest. The greatest player of all time will carry that lesson with him forever.
[Image: A reflective portrait of Jorge Messi in later years, the quiet figure behind the legend]
In the coming days the tributes will continue to pour in from former teammates, coaches, clubs and ordinary fans who understand that behind every great champion stands someone who believed first. For Lionel Messi that someone was always his father. The man who once asked a 13-year-old boy whether he wanted to stay or go home – and then stayed with him for the rest of the journey – has taken his final leave.